Guruvayur: Origin of Krsna Deity

According to the Narada Purana, Lord Sri Visnu gave this deity to Lord Brahma who gave in return to Narada who delivered it to Saint Kasyapa, the son born out of the mind of Lord Brahma. Later, this sage gave this deity to Vasudeva, the father of Lord Krsna, who gave it to Lord Sri Krsna when He was ruling Dwaraka. When Lord Krsna completed His earthly pastimes, He gave this deity to Uddhava and said, “Now Dwaraka will sink into the ocean. Please take this deity and worship it.” When Uddhava was thinking how and where to worship, Dwarak sank into the ocean. Uddhava came to the main land leaving the deity floating on the water.

When Brhaspati, the Guru of the demigods saw the floating deity, he picked it up and searched a suitable place to install. When the Vayu, or the air god saw Brhaspati having a Visnu deity, he joined Brhaspati for search of a suitable place. While they were searching they came to Kerala where Parasurama was meditating. He invited these two demigods and told them to reach Rudra-Tirtha where Lord Siva was meditating. When they reached Rudra-Tirtha carrying the deity, Lord Siva welcomed them and told them that they are in an auspicious place for installing the deity. While installation, Lord Parasurama was made the chief guest and Visvakarma, the architect of heaven, constructed the temple. This temple has four gates located east, west, north, and south. Because this deity was installed by Guru and Vayu, this deity and the town are know as Guruvayur.

Once, the great grand son of Arjuna, King Janmejaya was inflicted with physical suffering and by praying to Guruvayurappa, he got relieved. When Pariksit Maharaj was cursed to die by snake bite, he went on the bank of Ganges and heard Srimad Bhagavatam from Sri Sukadeva Goswami. While he was hearing Srimad Bhagavatam from Sri Sukadeva Goswami, Taksaka, a snake bird, bit him and thus Pariksit Maharaj died. When his son Janmejaya learnt about the cause of his father’s death, he began a sarpa-yajna in which all the snakes including Taksaka was to be sacrificed. Thus, one after another, all the serpents were falling into the fire and got burnt. When Taksaka’s number came to die, he took shelter of King Indra who protected him. Understanding this, Janmejaya intensified the sacrificial mantra calling Taksaka together with Indra to fall in the fire. Finding this, Indra was horrified with fear and took shelter at Brhaspati, the guru of the demigods. He blessed Indra and Taksaka with fearlessness and went to speak with Janmejaya.

Brhaspati said to Janmejaya, “Taksaka had drunk nectar and thus has become immortal. As everyone is under the law of karma, Taksaka was just an instrument in fulfilling the will of the Lord. While following this law of Karma you father Pariksit was killed, then Taksaka should not be taken for granted to punishment. Therefore keeping grudge against Taksaka is unworthy.” Thus Brhaspati advised King Janmejaya to stop the serpent sacrifice.

Accepting the Sage’s advice Janmejaya stopped the sacrifice. But due to sacrificing so many innocent snakes, Janmejaya was inflicted with incurable physical disease. One day, Janmejaya met Sage Atreya who advised the king to take shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Guruvayurappa. Thus following the Sage’s advice Janmejaya reached Guruvayur and daily bathed in Rutra-Tirtha and prayed to Guruvayurappa. He stayed in Guruvayur just for four months and took prasadam from the Lord and thus got cured from his sickness.

In the ninth century, King Pandya of Madurai was predicted by his astrologer that he would die of a snake bit. He took shelter of Guruvayurappa and became free from it. The king attended the temple worship and chanted the holy names of the Lord until the particular date of snake bit was over. When he reached his capital, he called his astrologer and told him that his prediction was wrong because no snake came to bite him. The astrologer replied, “Oh king, the cobra came and bit you on your big toe on the right foot (and showed him the mark). But because you were fully absorbed in praying to the Supreme Lord Guruvayur, the Lord miraculously protected you with the help of Garuda.” Thus, the king constructed the temple. The temple as it appears today was constructed after a fire in 1970. Lord Krsna is favorite of devotional service and loves His faithful devotees.

Once the preacher of impersonalism Sripada Sankaracharya, was passing through Guruvayur temple and going to Mysore. At that time the Lord was upon an elephant in the procession. Sankaracharya showed no respect to the Lord thinking that God is impersonal and cannot be confined in a Murti. The Supreme Lord, thinking his attitude to be disrespectful, He wanted to show Sankaracharya that devotion is far superior to impersonal realization. Sankaracharya who was going through path of sky, fell unconscious in front of the elephant upon which Lord Guruvayurappa was riding. When he regained his consciousness, he felt ashamed. Being humiliated he begged the Lord for His forgiveness and remained in Guruvayur for sometime. In this period of study he began a forty day festival in the month of Kartik (October-November).

The scriptures state that as per the desires of His devotees, Lord manifests to them. Prahlada Maharaja desired to see such a ferocious form of Krsna which is not mentioned in the scriptures, Lord appeared to him as Nrsimhadeva, half lion and half human, having ferocious anger. Dhruva Maharaj desired to see the Lord is a soothing form and He appeared as Visnu and poured water with His conch in the mouth of Dhruva Maharaj. This rule of Lord’s manifestation is applied for all time. In the 14th century, there was a king named Vilvamangala who had a servant named Varrier. One day king took his servant to have darsan of Lord Guruvayurappan. When they reached the temple the Lord was on the top of an elephant having a procession. The festival deity is very small (about 9 inches high) and is made of gold. The servant, Varrier, could not see or recognize the Lord. He humbly asked the king, “Can you please tell me how the Lord looks like and in what form should I worship Him?” vilvamangala jokingly replied, “Lord looks like a buffalo and you should worship Him as such. Even though the king was joking with his servant, the Varrier took it very seriously. He thought since the Lord incarnates as fish, turtle or a boar, why shouldn’t He look like a buffalo. Thus he meditated on the Lord in that way.

Whenever Vilvamangala came to the temple, Varrier accompanied him, but he would see the Lord in a buffalo form. One day when the procession was about to begin, the priest was bringing small deity out from the deity room to ride on the elephant. As he was leaving out the door, he got stuck on the door way. The priest could not understand the reason. King Vilvamangala and his servant Varrier were watching as did hundreds of people who were waiting to participate in the procession. The Varrier thought, “Why doesn’t the priest tilt the Lord a little to his right or left so that horns of Buffalo Lord stuck in the door way will be relieved?” Even after great endeavors Lord did not come out, Varrier could not tolerate this and started shouting, “Please move either to your left or right tilting the Lord a bit.” Hearing this, the priest followed and Lord came out easily. The king later chastised his servant for shouting so loudly. Varrier humbly told the king, “Master, Lord is a buffalo having large horns that make Him difficult to pass through a narrow doorway. If the priest would have turned left or right, He could have come out easily.” Hearing this truth from his innocent servant and remembering what he had previously told him, the king was astonished. Thus the king became a great devotee of Lord Guruvayurappa. There are various such incidents concerning Guruvayurappa and His devotees.

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